I Miss: Marathon

When I was a kid there was an amazing candy bar called the Marathon. It was made by Mars and came in a bright red wrapper and was almost ten inches long (the candy was only 8 inches). Inside was a braid of firm caramel covered in chocolate.

The Marathon bar came along at a time when I would guess I was particularly impressionable and it was a marvelous time in candy. New candies were being introduced that seemed to speak directly to my soul. It was at this time that things like Reese’s Pieces, Sprees & Starbursts came out and Pringles (okay, not a candy, but I’d buy them at the Stop ‘n Go). And let’s not forget Pop Rocks.

The Marathon bar was probably not marketed towards me. The commercial campaign I remember involved a square-jawed, white-toothed and practically perfect looking Patrick Wayne (son of John Wayne) who went by the name of Marathon John. This hero of little commerical stories did everything slow, like eating his Marathon bar. He had a nemesis in the commericals, a wirey fellow named Quick Carl. Quick Carl was careless and jumpy and was, of course, always foiled by Marathon John and his candy bar that you can’t eat quickly. (We didn’t have color TV back then, so the whole “red” thing was lost on me ... it’s not that I’m that old that I remember black & white TV, it’s just that we didn’t get one in my family until 1979).

My guess is that this long candy bar that came with a measuring stick on the back was aimed at adolescent boys. You know how obsessed they are with measuring things. And how often do you find yourself at lunch or hanging out at the park with your little paper bag of sweets and wanna measure something with your buds?

Anyway, the candy bar was introduced in 1973 by Mars and discontinued it in 1981. But of course once you discontinue a candy bar the fans come out of the woodwork. The bar has been gone for more than twenty years and still there are rabid admirers who insist that it be returned to the American Pantheon of candy bars. I suspect that one of the issues with it is its non-standard size. It just doesn’t fit on the shelves the same way and slotting is important for the big candy manufacturers. But Cadbury seems to be doing fine with the Curly Wurly ... but for all I know their biggest market may be the United States and these folks in their forties who insist that there is no other candy bar for them than an eight inch braid of caramel covered with chocolate.

A few years ago Mars resurrected the name Marathon but this time gave it to an “energy bar” type candy. I’ve never tried it.

If you’re looking for a fix now that you’ve waxed as nostalgic as I have, pick up the Cadbury Curly Wurly bar. You can find them in the UK or Canada or perhaps in the States at a shop that carries UK imports and of course online. Old Time Candy has a nice page about Curly-Wurly and the Marathon Bar Here’s my review of the Curly Wurly (I gave it an 8 out of 10). The only question that remains (and perhaps you dear readers can help) is who came up with the bar first? Was it a Cadbury product that was licensed by Mars just as Hershey licensed KitKat from Rowntree (well, now Nestle)? Or did Mars come up with it and it was successful enough in the UK to continue?

WOW, I totally forgot about the Marathon Bar. If I hadn’t seen the photo of the actual bar I wouldn’t have remembered. I liked the braid. I certainly don’t remember there being a ruler on the back.But I’m a girl so there’s nothing to measure. HA! That’s weird!! Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

I miss it, too - and like Suzanne, don’t remember the ruler! A few years ago, either 1993 or 1994 [it was a soccer World Cup year], we came across a Marathon bar in Cyprus. Or maybe it was a Curly-Wurly. But it definitely opened a floodgate of memories…

Cybele,
Just in the past couple of weeks was I turned-on to your blog by a fellow candy-lover. Reading your posts… well, without getting all schmaltzy and possibly stalker-y, it has been like finding a long-lost cousin/soulmate that I never knew was lost. You are pretty much the first person, other than my own brother and sister, who has acknowledged even the EXISTENCE of the Marathon, much less how freakin’ great it was. Admitedly, I think my love of the Marathon had much to do with the sheer QUANTITY - although ounce for ounce it probably wasn’t any more candy than a Milky Way. But when you’re seven, length is everything. But beyond size, it was a fantastic bar. Thanks for giving it it’s long over-due propers. Ditto for the See’s props. I TOTALLY agree with you on the superflousness of the hang-painted boutique chocs. See’s rules.

Though probably not exceeding your fondness for it, I do love the malt, too. I just picked these up at Marshall’s today, but have not yet tried them. (Marshall’s, if you are unfamiliar, is like T.J. Maxx/Lohmann’s, etc.) They are called: “Dorothy Cox’s Chocolates - Premium Chocolate Malted Milk Balls” http://www.dorothycox.com. They’re meant to be a gift for my cousin, who is an even bigger fan of the malt than I am. Once I give them to her, I’ll help myself to a couple-few so I can report back. Staleness (they’re from Marshall’s, afterall) may be an issue.

One last note on malt: this new bakery just opened a couple of weeks ago in Portland: bakerybar.com. I’ve been meaning get over there and sample their vittles, which look and sound lovely. Last week when I checked out the current menu on their website, they featured a MALT BALL CUPCAKE - layers of malt frosting and malt ball bits on top and/or in the frosting, I believe. Sadly, it’s not on the menu this week - but I’m thinking they must just revolve their products as it’s a small and new bakery. If I think it could make the journey, I could fed-ex you one. Or do you not mix your candy and baked goods?
I guess when I’m excited about candy I just want to spread the love.

Thanks for the great blog. It has been the source of (welcome) procrastination all month long.

I’m going to start trying some malt recipes (I want to try making malted milk rice krispies squares first). I’ve seen one for a malted milk cake which could probably be make into cupcakes rather easily. Sounds yummy. I’m not much of a cake fan though in all honesty, I stick to candy and the odd cookie that resembles candy.

I tried a malted truffle not to long ago and was sorely disappointed with its lack of maltyness.

I will definitely check out Marshalls for the Dorothy Cox malt balls. It’s been a couple of weeks since my last half-pound of them. I’m overdue. The chocolate cloaking tends to protect the malt center. But then again, I kind of like it when they get sticky and melted on the inside too.

Fred - in Europe Mars has/had a bar called the Marathon which was a combination of peanuts, caramel and nougat covered in chocolate. It’s the same as the American bar called Snickers (which predates it ... it’s a long story). They’ve switched over the name there to Snickers, I’m guessing it’s not been much of a PR success.

In the United States we currently have a Mars product called the Marathon bar, which is an energy bar with a lot of peanuts in it.

Oh my gosh, I just loved the marathon bar when I was a kid. I heard you were able to get it in Canada and I have been frantically searching. I guess I was wrong after reading your blog. I am so glad to know that other people besides me remember this candy bar. It was delicious!!!! Wish I could get some. Thanks for the memories.

Sherri - you can get the Curly Wurly bar made by Cadbury in Canada (and even in the United States where folks carry imported bars). Someone may have been confused when they told you that Marathons were available overseas because that’s what Snickers used to be called in the UK.

Dang, it’s hard being a candy lover sometimes ... they just do some of this stuff to confuse us!

My mother in law (who is from England just brought over Curly Wurlys on her visit here) When my husband opened the wrapper I said om my gosh that’s a marathon bar and he argued with me but I just had to google it and as to my advantage I was right:) What a great find!

Oh how I loved the braided, caramel Marathon candy bar as a child. I remember my jaw would get tired about 4 inches into it, but I didn’t care. The taste was worth it. I DO remember the ruler on the back—it always made me think I was getting the best bang for my buck (or should I say quarter?) too. How I dreaded getting braces on as a kid—for I knew it would be about three years before I got them off and could sink an unwired tooth into one again. Unfortunately, they discontined the candy bar in ‘81 and I I was left with an empty 8 inch wrapper in my hand. Se la vie.

I have been hoping and praying the Marathon would reappear. I did find the Curly Wurly b Cadbury in a candy store in the mall..paid 1.99 for it. Didnt realize it till home, just seen caramel braid and got excited. It is most definately not what I hoped for. Caramel was too soft!! WANT THE ORIGINAL FROM WHEN I WAS A KID!!

Just coming off Easter. When I was just a young lad my mom would place three Marathon bars in my Easter basket. I now tell my kids about it every year. I don’t remember eating anytime other that Easter. It was such a treat on that special day. I would love to see it make a return!!!

WOW! A couple of months ago the marathon bar just popped into my head. I asked the friend i was with if she remembered them. That CANDY BAR brings back the fondest, craziest and best memories. I loved sucking the chocolate off and then the caramel next..bite, by bite. I need to order a few curly wurly’s!!!
Mar’s really should bring them back for the future generations as they are missing out!

The Marathon bar was my favorite as a child. I have been wondering about them for years. I thought maybe it was just sold in the Kentucky area or something like the yummy Charlies Chips and Cookies were and that is why I didn’t see them now. I am upset that they stopped making them all together. THEY NEED TO BRING IT BACK.

Ahh the beloved Marathon bar. *sniff* I have long mourned its passing. It was my favorite as well and I often wax nostalgic about its chewy braided goodness. My kingdom for a Marathon bar! I’m going to have to look up the Curly Wurly, though. Off to Cost Plus in the morning.

I have been trying for years to find out whatever happened to the marathon bar. Believe me when I was a kid and even a teen this was the candy of choice for me….and then one day….it was gone. I found MARS number on another web site and I will start calling to bug the &*%$ out of them. It was so simple but yet so tatsty. MARS of you see this blog, bring back the Marathon bar.

They must have advertised something about freezing and breaking these, because that’s how I remember eating them. Man, these were great. I’d get them (with a rainbow snowcone)at the snack booth after little league games. Sigh.

I also remember the Marathon Bar, and it was a pleasure to discover that after so many years other people remember it too. For me at least, the Marathon Bar represents more than just great candy….it reminds me of a time when life was simpler, and much more fun. The seventies pioneered many great candies, toys, commercials, saturday morning cartoons, fashion, and music, and in my opinion had the most positive effect on its youth of all the decades!

I know this sounds crazy but when my kids ask me about my fondest childhood memories, the first thing that pops into my head is that yummy chocolate covered caramel braid. My dad worked 2nd shift and used to wake me up when he got home to sneak me a Marathon bar (my favorite) which really ticked off my mom! My little brother used the ruler on the back to measure night crawlers he pulled out of the ground!!!!! I wish my kids could experience that wonderful candy bar! Bring it back !@#!@#!!!!!!!!

Stacy - Yes! I share your excitement. The Curly Wurly, as mentioned above in the original post, is made by Cadbury and sold in Europe. The Marathon was an American bar made by Mars. (Some purists don’t think that they’re quite the same, I find it a perfectly good substitute, although pricey when imported.) I linked to my description and review of it above.

I so love the Marathon Bar. I recently reunited with my high school sweetheart from 25 years ago. We just discovered that Marathon was both of our favorite candy bar. We want it back. The braided caramel, milk chocolate. I used to suck the chocolate off and then smoosh the caramel into a ball. yum yum.

I would do alot more for a Marathon Bar than a Klondike! I have been craving one for years!! BTW, Beth, that’s just weird! Never would have considered eating it like that but I’d give it a shot if I could get my hands on one.

FINALLY—i’ve found a place where people know about the candy bar i loved as a kid. My friends and i were talking about the candy we ate as kids—nobody knew what i was talking about—i couldn’t remember the name - just that is was braided carmel and chocolate in a bright red package. After looking up old fashion candy i finally found curlywurly and it mentioned marathon-i knew then that was the name of the candy i had loved!! Wish i could have one now. It needs to be brought back just like it was!! Does anyone remember when it was hot outside how easily it would melt? Mom would make me wait until i got home to eat it because it was so messy! Seemed like forever- wanted it so badly!! LOL Those were the days!!!

Oh, the marathon bar was one af my absolute favorites as a kid. Every so often I get a craving for one, and I can almost taste that unique flavor. I wish they would bring it back, even for a limited time…I’d stock up!!

Like many here I thought about this candy bar out of the blue. I thought I would look it up online and found this site. I miss the Marathon Bar and can’t believe it has been so long since it was discontinued. No wonder my wife did not remember it.
Bring it back!

My wife like everyone else thought about this out of the blue and I like so many others don’t remember the candy bar. I more than likely can’t recall the bar due to the length of time since than, would love to try and bring myself out of the coma that has succeeded in erasing it from my memory.
Hey It’s Me Heather. I just wanted to tell all of you that I remember the ” Marathon Bar” as an icon to being young and having not a care in the world. I am 36 years young, I mean old. Anyway, the Marathon Bar dominates in this old girls life.

My wife like everyone else thought about this out of the blue and I like so many others don’t remember the candy bar. I more than likely can’t recall the bar due to the length of time since than, would love to try and bring myself out of the coma that has succeeded in erasing it from my memory.
Hey It’s Me Heather. I just wanted to tell all of you that I remember the ” Marathon Bar” as an icon to being young and having not a care in the world. I am 36 years young, I mean old. Anyway, the Marathon Bar dominates in this old girls life.

Hey…I miss the Marathon Bar too! I thought I was the only one who remembered it. I found this link to M&M/Mars where you can go on and ask them to bring it back. Maybe we’ll see it again someday!!! Write to them!!

LOL My sister and I have been for years talking about the braided carmel candy bar that neither one of us could remember the name of..LOL we were even talking about it this morning while talking childhood memorys. I grew a brain cell and jsut decided for kicks to see if I could find out what it was called ( she said Id never find it ..NANANA to her.) Anyway we both loved this candy and miss it. Whe do not remember the ruler either .. were girls.lol
Thanks for givin me the info .
Nyoka

I recently found the Curly Wurly at World Market & bought 10 of them. The World Market is 45 minutes from my house. I should have bought the whole box. I was worried they wouldn’t be as good as the Marathon Bar. They were & now the husband wants in on my stash. I told him he’d have to make the trip to replace them before he was allowed to eat them. Oh & Beth, first thing I did was suck the chocolate off & then eat the ball of caramel. I love the idea but boy do your jaws start aching before you finish. LOL! Anyway you eat them is TASTY.
I remember the ruler was printed on the back of the Marathon Bar package.

wow I for got the name of this candy bar until my man said he could go for a Marathon and then i said yes thats it the name of the candy bar with the cowboy holding it LoL just to funny wish the old stuff stay more then some of the stuff they have out now!!!!

When I was like 5 years old one man I fell in love with (i felt i was gay) and said if i ever found a lover may he look like the marathon bar man, you forgot, he always wore all white and when he smiled a gold tooth would shine and go bling…oh my god thank you i have found my first real love…Louie Love.

oh and before he smiled the gold tooth, he would go into his two holsters by his side and pull out two big marathon bars, like, i gotch ya and then smile and then bling aahhhhh!!!!!! memories..my fantasies, thanks again….

I say to people all the time “Bet you can’t eat a Marathon bar fast Quick Carl” and they look at me like i have three heads…thanks for letting me find this candy bar again. I remember it very, very well. Yummy. And I remember the ruler too. Now, what was the bubble gum that came in a long tube about a foot long??? Lori O.

Yea! There are those out there that remember the Marathon Bar! I would love to get my hands on one of those now, just to prove to people that I am not crazy! One thing different though, I was under the impression that “Quick Carl” was actually “Fast Quick Carl”..... cause he would say… ” I’m Fast Quick Carl! Gotta do everything fast!”. I have even been using Fast Quick Carl for my Ebay title for years! Neat! And yes, we are getting old…der.

that was my all time favorite candy bar when i was a kid.
You would put it in your mouth, pull it, the carmel would stretch and the choclate pieces would fall off so you had to eat if over a table so you could still eat all the choclate that fell off. Damn I want one now!
I was about 10 maybe…1971 alright now you know my age.
I would love one day to try one of those again. it would be awesome.
BRING IT BACK PLEASE.

FINALLY some people who remember the Marathon Bar!!! I have been asking people for years if they remember it and no one has! I feel as if I’ve found a home! lol
My grandaddy used to buy me one EVERY day if i ate my breakfast(which always consisted of 3 stewed prunes). Looking at that wrapper took me back to 1978 and my brown paper bag full of candy with that marathon bar sticking out. My grandmother (Mu’dear) would put it in the freezer and break it with a hammer for me to eat! lol

WOW!!!! i really thought that i was the only one that knew about this amazing candy bar but now i see that I’m not alone. This candy was sooooooo good that all the normal Braves “Like if you you bring home a good report today you can stay up pass your bed time” yeah right Now when the words Marathon came out of her mouth O Yeah! Hell i would even do my home work in a timely fashion, So for the new generation that never had the pleasure

I got a craving this morning for a Marathon. I can taste as if I were eating one. Im glad I found this site. I use to freeze them too. ( I read how some one use to freeze them then watch ” Wonderful world of disney” ah the memories… Im going to write mars today, may not do any good but hey its worth a shot

Ohhh My I am so glad there are others my husband and I talk about our love for the amazing Marathon candy bar How we wish they would bring it back. My favorite way to eat one was FROZEN and bread small pieces off so my jaw didn’t get so tired! What memories, Thanks for letting me share!

Does anyone besides me rememeber the Marathon commercial being discreetly homo-erotic? At the end, Marathon John says, “Nobody eats a Marathon quick . . .Carl.” There is a dramatic pause just after the word quick, and John smiles slyly when he says “Carl”. I was only 14 at the time, living in a small town, but it was sure noticeable to me.

i WISH YOU WOULD BRING BACK THE MARATHON BAR IF ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME ,I WOULD BY THEM UP BY THE CASE JUST FOR MY SISTER.SHE IS HAVING A REALY BAD TIME RIGHT NOW AND I REMBER AS KID SHE WAS ALL WAY GET A MARATHON BAR AND SOME HOW IT ALWAYS MADE HER FILL BETTER.SO DO YOU THINK IT MIGHT EVEN BE POSSIABLE THAT YOU MIGHT BERING IT BACK?
THANK YOU SO MUCH
KARREN

I was just talking to someone about this candy bar. I totally remember the ruler on it, the red wrapper and the chocolate and caramel. That was my favorite candy bar in my childhood. I would love to see it again!

I have very fond memories of eating Marathon Bars as a child. They were by far my favorite candy and still are to this day. I am not a huge candy fan but would buy as many Marathon Bars as I could get my hands on and would pay an unmentioned price just for a bite. Please bring this candy bar back!!!! I am 38 years old and don’t have much interest in the newer candies of today but give me a Marathon Bar and look out, it’s all on!!!!

I’ve been looking for years for someone to remember this candy bar. Everyone looks at me like I have two heads when I describe it. It, without a doubt, was the best candy bar ever made in my opinion. There have been two things I wanted to see happen in my lifetime, the comeback of the Marathon Bar and a reunion of the four original KISS members in full stage make-up! One dream came true, maybe someday the Marathon Bar will return as well.

You can get a very good substitute for the Marathon Bar. Cadbury make something called a Curly Wurly bar that is pretty much an exact copy of the Marathon Bar. I ordered some online for my kids’ church and they were a big hit.

Marathon was the best! My last memory of having one was an embarrassing moment. My older brother was in the air force in Warner Robbins, Georgia. My twin sister and myself were staying with with him and his wife for a week. After going out to supper, we decided to stop by either a Golden Pantry or a 7-11 store for a treat before going home. For me there was only one thing that the store had to offer—Yes, a Marathon Bar! Well, on this particular summer night it was raining cats and dogs. Everyone got out of the car and went in, and my sister-in-law was holding the door open for me to come in. For some reason I wasn’t wearing any shoes, so as I ran into the store, the heel of my bare foot hit the slick, wet linolium, and before I knew what was going on, my feet were in the air, and I was lying on my backside right there in front of God and what seemed-to-me like the entire population of Warner Robbins. For some reason, everyone in the store thought that was just tremendously funny. Well I left the store that night to a thunderous chorus of laughter, but I did not leave without my Marathon Bar. If I had known that would be the last time I would have a Marathon Bar, for all I endured and as much as I loved them, I would have taken every bar they had. The really funny thing is, I would re-live that infamous moment all over again to have a Marathon Bar in my hand—right now!

The Marathon bar was the best candy bar ever. The curly wurlz they are advertising as the british marathon bar isn’t the Marathon bar. Nothing can substitute for the Marathon bar. It was the best. Bring it back!!!

This is so wierd. I was just talking to my sister during Christmas and how we used to get Marathon bars in our stockings every year when we were kids! The Marathon bar was the best candy bar ever! It was so simple! Caramel covered in chocolate. It has been done before but there was really something special about the Marathon. It’s like the taste, the length, the design, the packaging, everything just came together to create a really special candy bar!

I’m 37 years old and 3 of the biggest things that I remember that left an indellible impression on me a child in the 70’s were 1.) Star Wars, 2,) the rock band KISS, and 3.) the Marathon candy bar!

I remember going to the store and I always got a marathone bar. That is my favorite. I wish they still made it. When I found out they wasnt goint to get the candy bar anymore I cried. My mom always made sure I had one whenever I took my lunch to school or on a field trip. I like to know if you can still get them.

I also loved the Marathon Bar as a kid. It is true that it was discontinued. However, for all of you Marathon fans out there, you can purchase these bars which are now called Curly Wurly. I found them on oldtimecandy.com. Enjoy!

OMG! I have been trying to find the Marathon Bar for several years. I am actually in the confectionery business and go to the annual Candy Convention in Chicago with no luck in finding my favorite chocolate covered caramel memory. Then, tonight by chance I was watching “The Vicar of Dibley” on our PBS station, and I got quite a blast from the past! The Vicar was eating a “Curly Wurly”. I googled it and there it all was…new company, new packaging, but the Cadbury Curly Wurly is the reincarnation of the Mars Company Marathon Bar. Awesome!!

I love this blog. My mother in law told me about this old time candy store that she found. She told me about all of the old candy there that she used to eat when she was a kid, and I immediately thought of the Marathon bar. When I was a kid in the seventies my brother and sisters spent a lot of our summer time at our grand parents. Our grand parents lived in a very small town that had a park, and one very small convenience store that was mostly a candy store. My brother and I used to go through garbage cans at the park looking for pop bottles to cash in. Back then it only took five bottles to get each one of us a candy bar. My first choice was always the Marathon bar. Man I would love to have one right now. It was great to tell this story to other people that are thinking the same thing.

The Curly Wurly came out in the UK a couple of years before the Marathon bar came out in the US. The Curly Wurly is almost a cult chocolate bar over here, with overtones of Tizer-drinking, fish-paste sandwich-eating, anorak-wearing, train-spotting 70s nerdiness, and being a bar for little children, but people have an inexplicable love for it nevertheless, especially those who were the right age when it came out.

What you call the Marathon never existed over here. However, until 1990, the Snickers bar was called a Marathon in the UK.

Mars seems to like being confusing with names of products internationally.

I have been wondering about the Marathon Bar for many years. My mouth waters for one of those. I wish they would bring it back. Then again My backside would be a heck of alot bigger than it is now !!!! Mars, bring back the Marathon Bar !!!!

I was at a superette tonight with my twin 13 yr old boys and my husband. We all picked out some candy, paid and went to the car. My one son asked me what my favorite candy in the entire world was and I easily said “that would have to be the Marathon bar” I proceeded to tell them all about it and when we got home they looked it up online. Needless to say they are begging me to order the Curly Wurly just so they can see what it tastes like.

I really miss Marathon Bars. They were a big part of my childhood. My dad and I would visit this tiny little store down the street where we lived and he would buy each of us a Marathon Bar and a Pepsi. We would sit under the small by-pass across from the store and eat our Marathon Bars, drink our Pepsi, laugh and have a good ol’ time. I was 4. Now I’m 37 and I long for a Marathon Bar.

I miss the Marathon bar SO MUCH. It was my favorite in elementary school. But I got braces in 6th grade. Couldn’t eat it anymore and when I finally got them off they had quit making it. Would love for my kids to be able to experience that!!

And I do remember the ruler…that was part of it’s uniqueness…and I’m not a guy!!

I got braces in 6th grade and subsequently broke them eating a Marathon bar that summer. I still remember sheepishly telling my orthodontist that I had been eating a Marathon bar and he did not know what one was. I thought he was an idiot! But I did not eat them anymore after that, and then they were gone.

Yes,the Marathon Bar! I remember it so well. I’ve been searching for it online, but have not been able to find it. There is the Curly Wurly by Cadbury, but I’ve read it’s not the same. I guess I’ll just have to try it since I won’t find the real thing. Too bad my children will never be able to taste it. I REALLY wish Mars would bring it back!

My sister and I are always talking about the marathon candy bar. As a kid on the bus, we used to have a girl that had at least two of those candy bars each day in her school bag. We were forever trying to get one from her but she never did surrender the beloved candy bar.
We miss it so much and wish you would bring it back, at least offer it as “Vintage” Candy. I would pay a good price for it, just to experience that taste again and remeber the good ole’ days!!!!!

the blog has brought back sooooooooo many memories for me… i absolutely loved the Marathon Bar and sincerely wish they would bring it back…. my favorite way to eat it was to nibble the chocolate off the outside of a section at a time, then suck on the caramel until it softened up….
i’ve already sent M&M Mars a letter begging them to bring it back and will be calling them starting tomorrow… i plan on doing this daily (maybe i can drive them crazy enough to bring it back)... i hope others of you will write and call also…. there is a page on the M&M’s page where you can leave comments or questions… please go and help us resurrect our dearly loved chocolate bar…

I was thinking about the Marathon bar just the other day .When i was a young girl I always got my mom to get me one every time we went to the store.Would love to have one right now.I wish they would bring them back .what happen to make them quit saleing them they were so great .
Pamela

I definately remember the Marathon candy bar from the late seventies… it was definately a unique size and shape in the candy section… seems like it was an option at the local movie theatre too. But I can’t say it ever was my favorite, just a different candy to go with something else. I mostly remember them being really messy (having the chocolate all melt off before finishing the caramel) and time consuming to eat… all that caramel… which I suppose is the point, but it wasn’t my favorite candy. And I think I tried the frozen pieces trick too. And I do remember being surprized when they were no longer around, after all the TV advertising and such.

I was driving home today after spending the afternoon visiting my girlfriend and her Daughter. I turned the radio on and found an oldies country radio station and started singing along. when out of now where in poped the memories of eating Marathon candy bars as a child. When I arrived home I looked up Marathon Candy bars on the net and found this site. I have been reading the posts for about a half hour now and DRULING for the tast of a MARATHON BAR. I so miss them

One of the pinnacle memories of my childhood was every other Saturday when I got my allowance. I’d rush down to the local Pic Quick and buy a fist full of comic books, a big Coke and a Marathon candy bar. It was something I looked forward to with breathless anticipation. There was just nothing like rushing back home, locking my room door and sitting on the bed with the Coke and the Marathon and catching up with Spiderman and the FF.

I remember these candy bars too. We lived near an M&M-Mars factory that made the Marathon bars. I think they had production problems with the bars because of their shape and length. My dad found out that he could get “cordage” or broken candy bars that were thrown in barrels very cheaply to use as a supplement for cattle food. He picked up several barrels and placed them out with the tops off for the cows to lick. One time in winter he put a barrel by the shed in our yard and the kids would just take the lid off and break off a piece wenever we were out playing. I’ve seen fully antlered deer stick their head and rack inside the barrel to get a lick of the Marathon bars down inside. They never seemed to get stuck.

MY COWORKER JUST CAME BACK FROM THE UK AND BROUGHT ME A CURLYWURLY…AS I WAS EATING IT I KNEW AS A LITTLE GIRL I USED TO EAT THEM ALL OF THE TIME BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME COULD NOT REMEMBER WHAT THEY WERE CALLED, AND I HAD REMEMBERED THAT WE USED TO FREEZE THEM AND SNAP THEM AS WELL…SO AFTER LOOKING UP THE CURLYWURLY ON LINE (LOVE GOOGLE) IT LED ME TO THE MARATHON BAR..THE BEST CANDY BAR EVER..WISH WE COULD GET THE CURLYWURLY’S LOCALLY…IT’S FUNNY THE THINGS THAT TAKE YOU BACK….

A guy in the office just came through with a bag of 100 Grand snack bars, and it got the whole office on a tangent about the Marathon Bars. I’m definently going to oreder some of the Curly Wurly bars, and yes I do remember the ruler on the back.

I have wanted a Marathon bar since they stopped making them. I couldn’t believe they discontinued them. I would give anything for them to come back on the market. I am going to try the curly wurly but I know it wont be as good as the Marathon bar. Let’s all keep bugging the Mars company and maybe just maybe they will bring them back again, even if it is a limited time. Just to have one more.

My first job was working at a drugstore and I was responsible for the ordering of the candy section. We had a wire display rack the full-size candy bars were stocked in near the registers (for all those impulse buys!!) The Marathon bar was problematical because it did not fit in the display rack, but oh how I loved it!! Thanks for this blog , it is entertaining and makes me want to search out even more candy if that’s possible.

I have tried to describe this to friends for years! Thank God for Google!
My sister and I always got one when we went camping. When we got to the campsite the first thing we did was get our Marathon Bar! I wish they would make it again with the red wrapper, yellow letters and call it Marathon not Curly Wurly!

I also remember the Marathon Bar. When I was young my Mom would freeze them then break them up and share them with us children. I cherish the memories of eating them with my Mom. I too wish that Mars would bring them back, if only for a “limited time only”. I did write Mars asking. Like someone else said, if we all keep asking…..who knows….maybe one day they will.

I miss the Marathon bar! I remember my Uncle Bill buying one for me back in 1979. Took me a week to eat it all. My mother made me keep it in the freezer. I was looking at the candy isle today and it popped in my head. I want one! Bring them back Mars! Kids today will love them!

The marathon was simply caramel covered in thick milk chocolate, in a zig-zag weaving pattern; long flat rectangular, almost like a 12” ruler with random swiss cheese like holes.

We used to buy them in the 6-pack package for $1.99 in 1974 at the army base; or 60 cents a piece up at the neighborhood lone star quick market.

They took along time to eat because there was so much caramel and they were over 10 inches long. It had to be torture to eat one frozen. My personal rule in eating one was to place it on a chair and sit on it for 1 to 10 minutes until the bar was just to the point of melting to the plastic wraping. To eat it any colder was a recipe for disaster with dental fillings not to mention jawbone/muscle fatique.

My classmate from hawaii and I used to eat them every day in fifth grade. We tried eating more than one before lunch but found that it was fun trying but pointless as the second bar was truly more work than fun eating. One bar at 10am and one bar at 2:30 was about the best.

I was probably about 5 years old (1977) when I got one of those. I loved that candy bar so much that I never forgot it. Problem is that over the years I had forgotten the name. I never forgot that the wrapper was red, it was flat, several inches long, was caramel covered with chocolate, and had holes in it.

For years I asked around but never got the name. I was lucky to stumble across this! My wife giggles at me for having such a vivid memory of being a small child. In those days, new things were being discovered and everyone was unique! Too bad it’s all in the past.

I have thought about the Marathon candy bar over the years. It was my favorite as a kid.I remember getting a whole box of them from my aunt what a gift. I would wonder if I could get 1 today would it be as good as I remember after reading the comments here It had to be as good as I remember. I remember the commercial from when I was a kid I thought how wrong they were the candy bar never seem to last long enough I would eat 2 or 3. I couldn’t have just 1!!!

YOU HAVE MADE ME SMILE !! I AM 39 AND AS A CHILD THERE WAS NOTHING BETTER THAN HOLDING THAT BIG RED BAR AND GRASPING THE END CORNER OF ITS WRAPPER TO SNAP IT OPEN WITH YOUR TEETH! THAT BRAID OF CARAMEL AND ITS CHOCOLATE THAT WOULD GREET YOUR HAND WITH ITS FRIENDLY COAXING TO BE LICKED OFF,BUT ONLY AFTER YOU HAD BITTEN AND STRETCHED THAT LENGTH OF BRAID THAT STICKS TO YOUR MOUTHS ROOF AND YOUR TEETHS SURFACE!OOH I REALY WISH THAT I HAD ONE,MY SISTER AND I HAVE REVISITED OUR CHILDHOOD IN CONVERSATION MANY TIMES AND THIS IS WHAT ALWAYS COMES UP,OUR LOVE FOR THEM IS CRAZY,THE OTHER THING WE MISS IS A BIG OL JAR OF GOOLGLE!!

I never forgot Marathon bars…When they came out in 1973 I had a 50 house paper route…one Sunday that summer the published a coupon for a free Marathon bar in the Sunday comics…my brother and I tore them all out and feasted on Marathon bars for weeks…have always casually looked for them over the years when I decide on a candy bar at the convenience store…never saw them…sadly today I find out they have been gone for over 30 years…bring them back!!

My British friend just brought me a Curly Wurly and ot inspired me to search the name of the US candy bar. Marathon was much bigger and I had forgotten how great they were. I explained to my British friend that his version would never work here because it sounded like a slang name for pubic hair!

Though I was an adolescent boy in the 70’s, I can’t recall ever using my Marathon Bar to “measure things”. Ate many a Marathon Bar as a kid, however. That was always one of my purchases when I had 50 cents to spend on a Saturday morning.

I’m 48.5 years old. We would go to a laundry mat every friday. I would get a marathon bar from the machine for about 10-15 cents, I think it was. Anyway, my jaws would hurt trying to chew that candy bar. It was great!
Yes, freezing them was cool, you could drop it on something and they would break into millions of pieces and eat them. Snickers and milky ways were out at the same time. I ate them all.
My sophore has to interview me,her mom, her father and grandmother for school. To list things that we remember from age 15. This was my favorite candy bar I decided to look up because I couldn’t remember the name.

wow, lotta right on info and mis-info on here about the marathon bar…anyway i grew up with it…sorta an expert…i can still taste it today…as a little boy friends of mine would have a marathon contest to see who could stretch it the longest until it snapped and each time the ones watching the eater would chant ma-ra-thon ma-ra-thon ma-ra-thon…until it finally broke….we ate miles of it…it is certainly in the top 10 candy bars of all time…curly wurly tries…close…but no cigar…shame on mm/mars for killing it and re-using the name for a yukky pretend health bar…btw…it was sold by weight…not by length…1 3/8 oz (reduced to 1 1/4 later on) but was only 8 inches long and did have a ruler on the back standard and metric

Please bring back my favorite candy bar…the
MARATHON BAR. I couldn’t hide it from my 2nd grade teach Ms Boemer back in 1974. I went to school in Washington D. C. put it in my front pocket during lunch when I bought it along with some Now and Laters candy and it is soooo long and my teacher saw it and she made me eat it in front of the class and it took forever and my classmate didn’t mind because it was close to 2:15pm time to go home. the end of the school day.lol my classmate loved me after that.

I had to send snickers a nasty note for using the Marathon name. I’m not sure why they discontinued the bar because I recall it was by far my favorite as a kid. Maybe it priced itself out of the market or something. The ruler on the back was THE selling point. Take a look at big macs, they keep getting smaller and smaller, if there were a ruler on them then they couldn’t cheat.

Anyone have a Rally Bar recently? Hershey bought the rights and produces limited promotional supplies to keep the license. Does anyone know who made them and when they were discontinued? They are similar to a Baby Ruth.

My favorite thing to get at 7-eleven growing up was a Slurpee and a Marathon Bar. The combination was out of this world. Over the last couple years I have seen the nostalgic candy shops open and all I could think of was finding the Marathon Bar. Well I just decided to finally google it and I found that my local Rocket Fizz carries the Curly Wurly. I can’t wait to go have my old 80’s fix.

The Curly Wurly is not the same. I wish it was, The chocolate is not creamy its chalky and the caramel is chalky as well, not gooey like Marathon. You know we can probably make our own with melted caramel and chocolate. Im gonna try it

Thank you! I have asked so many people if they remember this candy bar and they all look at me like I am crazy. I was actually starting to think that I made it up! This was my absolute, all time, favorite candy and I have missed them since they were discontinued. In fact, to this day I don’t eat any other candy bar. Thank you for providing me with this trip down memory lane and for the information on the curly wurly bar, although it appears the reviews are mixed and being in the states I probably won’t have access to one.

I am getting some Curly Wurly candy bars because I miss the Marathon Bar! I ate many of them in elementary and middle school. My mother had to fold them in half so they wouldn’t stick out of my brown paper lunch bag. I usually had a headache after chewing all that chocolate caramel cud. It was worth it!

Hands down the very best candy bar ever made! I’ve been trying for months to remember the name. It takes me back to childhood. I remember going on the Pepsi route with my and buying them at the Piggy Wiggy. I would pay $5 for one today.

I find it fascinating the writer says he didn’t get a color tv till 1979. Heck I remember getting cable television in 81 and was from a rather poor family! I thought most black and white TVs were gone by the early 70s?

I just stumbled across your blog from another blog and got lost in your candy list! (I have to wipe the drool off the keyboard now.) I’m old enough to remember black and white TV and those ads. What a Hoot! I lived on Marathon bars in college in the early 70’s, (nd diet Dr. Pepper from our Student Union because when I worked there we could make it taste really good by playing with the syrup mix.) Marathon Bars were the perfect mix of chocolate and caramel to me back then, and being a broke student meant I could make one last a long time. I could only afford stuff like that once a month when I got paid.

I miss the Marathon Bar so much I catch myself day dreaming about it. It was the best! Oh what I would do for more of that delicious choc. covered carmel. Please, can’t they make those again? Can’t anyone convince them to do so?

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